Quality Analysis
Improving Curatorial Practices Through the Dimensions of Curation Competing Values Model: An Action Research in Shandong Art Museum View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xiaonan Jiang
This study investigates the curatorial practices of community exhibitions at the Shandong Art Museum in China. With the rise in museum visits following the 2008 government policy eliminating admission fees, and a 2015 directive emphasizing the educational function of museums, museums in China are undergoing transformation. However, traditional object-oriented curatorial practices still dominate, particularly in art museums in northern China. Through a participatory action research approach, this study explored how curatorial practices can evolve to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders, including museum educators, visitors, and community members. Framed within the Chinese philosophical concepts of Zhong He (balance and harmony), the research utilized the Dimensions of Curation Competing Values Model to examine the co-curation of a community exhibition at the Shandong Art Museum. Mixed methods, including group discussions, questionnaires, and interviews, were employed to collect data and assess stakeholder responses to curatorial changes. The study aimed to inform future curatorial strategies by introducing visitor-centered approaches and co-curation within the Dimensions of Curation Competing Values Model, ultimately supporting the museum’s transition into a more dynamic public space.
Contextualizing a Neolithic Artifact: Different Representations of the Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük in Exhibitions
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pelin Alkan
Cultural artifacts in museums often lose their complex histories, reduced to isolated objects focused primarily on symbolic meanings. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) offers a framework to address this issue by highlighting the network of human and non-human actors that shape artifacts and their interpretation. This proposal critically analyzes the representations of the Seated Woman Figurine of Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic artifact discovered in Turkey, across various exhibitions. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, where the figurine has been housed since 1962, labels it the "Goddess Figurine" and emphasizes its symbolic connection to fertility and agriculture, isolating it on the museum floor from other figurines excavated at the same site. Similarly, at the 2010 World Expo in China, Turkey presented a large-scale replica of the figurine as an idol representing the nation's ancient history and its identity as the cradle of civilization, further simplifying its archaeological context. In contrast, Ian Hodder’s interpretive archaeology and exhibitions like From Earth to Eternity aim to demystify such narratives by situating artifacts within their material and social contexts. The New Visitor Center at Çatalhöyük builds on this approach, utilizing digital tools to highlight excavation methods, daily life, and environmental conditions, reframing the figurine as a representation of community respect for elders in an egalitarian society. This research underscores the importance of contextualizing artifacts in museum design, analyzing these exhibitions to demonstrate how incorporating thoughtful exhibition design, scientific data, and diverse perspectives can lead to more accurate, trustworthy, and technologically informed displays.
Gendered Governance and Financial Reporting Quality of Museum Foundations: Evidence from Norway
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Christophe Van Linden
We respond to a call for more research on diversity and governance of cultural organizations (Castellini et al., 2020). Our objective is to assess whether the gender of governance actors matters for financial reporting quality of museum foundations. This topic is of particular importance given the private benefits of control typically held by museum directors. Psychology literature documents gender differences in personality traits (see e.g. Costa, 2001) and demonstrates that women exhibit slightly higher conscientiousness than men. Moreover, prior literature demonstrates that individual attributes of governance actors affect financial reporting (for an overview see Alhossini et al., 2021). We therefore predict a positive association between a museum foundation’s financial reporting quality and: 1. A female museum director 2. The proportion of female board members 3. A female external auditor. Our sample consists of all Norwegian museum foundations that have at least one employee in 2021-2022 and are being audited. We measure financial reporting quality in line with DeFond and Park (2001). We manually collect data for the governance characteristics of our observations. On average half of the museum foundation directors in our sample are women and half of the board members are women. About one third of the foundations are audited by a female auditor. In multivariate regression analyses, we find evidence of a positive association between female auditors and museum foundations’ financial reporting quality.
Maps, Stories, and Streets: Historical Thinking Through Urban Learning in Bangkok View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chewasit Boonyakiet, Sarawan Vindubrahmanakul, Yupaporn Thanyawiwatkul, Worakarn Wongsuwan, Sirada Thiendej, Kusra Mukdawijitra
Bangkok is urbanising rapidly, and many young people feel increasingly detached from the past. The National Discovery Museum Institute (NDMI), a public cultural organisation under the Thai government, is dedicated to fostering civic learning and historical awareness through innovative museum practices. Its Museum Links initiative responds to this challenge by linking museums, schools, and communities to reconnect students with local history. This interdisciplinary museum-based project repositions museums not merely as repositories of the past, but as active platforms for civic learning, cultural interpretation, and youth participation in shaping public memory. The initiative was conducted in six secondary schools across Bangkok, but this paper focuses on two completed case studies with full activity implementation and learning assessment. One of the flagship activities is Xplorer Squad: Unlock the Past in Bangkok’s historic core. It demonstrates place-based pedagogies adapted to distinct urban settings. The inner-city programme emphasised decoding spatial transformation through historical maps, archival photographs, and site-based exploration. Drawing on assessment data and student reflections, the paper shows how participants developed competencies in historical thinking and urban awareness using tools such as comparative map reading, photo analysis, field observation, and guided reflection. These tools helped build students’ interpretive abilities and civic imagination. The study argues that interdisciplinary museum–school partnerships grounded in place can revitalise museum-based heritage education and cultivate youth agency in historical interpretation.
